Bzzzzzzzzzz......

A bird feeder that hangs from a pergola post near our back door has become a perfect home for paper wasps. These little critters are welcomed around here because they go after some of the nasty pests that attack my garden.

They also leave behind their gorgeous nests which they construct from plant fiber and saliva to make paper. I've used this lovely material for collage in a couple of my books. The tree branch on the cover of Scoot! is made from wasp nest paper.

I shot this little video of the wasps at work. Sorry for the jerky quality--I don't have a tripod.

Tree House Lunch

Summer is the perfect time for lunch in the tree house by the pond. Three small friends (grandchildren of a friend) came to visit last week. We had lunch and games, and made turtle puppets. For more on the arts & crafts activity, click here for my Artful Acts blog.

Babies at the Pond

Tadpoles are growing fast! Little legs have sprouted, propelling their bodies around the pond.

I've been searching for other "babies" because Down East Books has agreed to publish my new picture book for toddlers, Pond Babies, next Spring! Ta-da! Should be fun.

I photographed this adolescent loon chick last summer on No Name Pond, about 50 miles north of here. Click HERE to HEAR the loons on my Frog Blog.